Many scenarios involve the detection and tracking of movement of various objects such as ships at sea. For example, data captured over a brief period of time may be evaluated to identify a particular object, such as the deck of a ship, based on various properties of the scene, and the movement of the object through the scene over the time period may be tracked. The information that results can be used, for example, to help land an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), an optionally piloted aerial vehicle or a piloted aerial vehicle on a ship deck. However, sea state information may not be readily available since sensors for determining sea state are often not included on ships, and communication issues can occur between ships and aircraft. While some methods of sea state estimation can include the use of buoys and radar, these device may not always be available to provide sea state estimation.
Conventional methods and systems have generally been considered satisfactory for their intended purpose. However, there is still a need in the art for systems and methods that provide for estimation of sea state. The present disclosure provides a solution for this need.